24 Hours
by DarkenedStar
Summary: Katie should have never agreed to play. What good could possibly come from a game called Weasly Dare? Can she make it through the day without dying of embarrassment? KBOW, obviously. Tons of fluff!
1. Weasley Dare

I'm back! You know you missed me.. :D I was digging through old stories and ran across this one that I had started ages ago but never got around to finishing. I've been stuck with this one so I figure reviving my FF-self might inspire me.

Disclaimer: I'm a poor college student; there's no way I own the rights to the Harry Potter universe...

Enjoy and let me know what you think! Send me any kind of feedback, please.

* * *

"Alright," I said. "Let me get this straight. We each write down a dare and toss it into Fred's… sock? Can we please use something else?"

"Absolutely not!" Fred cried indignantly. "What's wrong with my sock?"

"_It's your sock_!" Alicia squealed in disgust. "We can just use that hat over there…"

"The sock is an essential part of this game," George argued.

"How?!" Alicia, Angelina and I exclaimed simultaneously.

Fred leaned in closer to us and looked around as if to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. He looked us each in the eye and finally wriggled his eyebrows. "It adds to the mystery…" He explained a hushed tone.

My two friends gagged while I just sighed. "Is it at least clean?"

"What kind of man do you take me for, Katherine Bell?"

I just looked at him pointedly but continued. "Right. So, whatever… we'll use the sock. We just write down our own dares, put them in the sock and all of us take one out. Then we have to do it."

The twins nodded in agreement.

"What happens if we refuse?" Oliver queried from next to me.

"You agree to be our personal test subject for the remainder of the year."

"School year or calendar year?" Harry asked.

"Calendar."

"It's January!" Angelina cried.

George grinned. "Exactly."

Alicia stood up from the circle. "I'm going to chicken out. I don't trust what you two will write and with my luck I'll be the one to pull something bad."

George shook his finger at her. "No can do, my dear. It's too late to back out now."

"It's far too late." George stated.

"How is it too late? I just walk away."

"That's part of the rules that haven't mentioned yet. Once you're in on the game, you're trapped." George explained with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh, don't worry, dear brother." Fred smiled in glee. "Let's not talk her out of it. We have already gained a test subject! I just _knew_ there were gains to be made here!"

"Oh, fine!" Alicia pouted and plopped back down in her seat. "I'm in."

"Any one else feel the desire to leave?"

There was a jumbled muttering of 'no's.

"Excellent. Let's get to it, then." Fred grinned as he passed out scraps of parchment and quills.

"Make them good!" George laughed. "I know my dare is exquisite!"

I groaned. I'm really going to regret this. I suppose as long as I don't have to humiliate myself in front of Oliver I'll be fine.

We all wrote down our dares and gave them to Fred. With his signature smirk he shoved all the scraps all the way down to the toe of his sock.

Angelina and Alicia squealed dismay while I just buried my face in my hands. I felt Oliver reach over from next to me to pat my back reassuringly.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, my heart fluttered and a blush crept on my face. Yes… I'm that completely, utterly hopeless.

"Don't worry, Kates. It can't be _that_ bad…" he said, unsure.

But who couldn't swoon for that **gorgeous** accent? It's to die for!! After five years of knowing him, I STILL find it hard to suppress my girly squeals!

Ugh… I sound like some crazed fan girl but I swear I'm not that bad. I don't have pictures taken from behind columns and bushes of the man like some of the second years.

Fred laughed at our reactions but just continued to shake his sock.

Because shaking a **sock** is going to jumble everything around so well, won't it? I love the twins but they are downright baffling.

"Right!" he exclaimed. "Pass the sock around and pull one out. Don't read it until it's your turn."

We all followed his instruction.

"Angelina, why don't you go first?"

The girl glared daggers at her crush but obliged. "**Snog the person to your left senseless.**" The girl actually turned beet red, despite her darker skin tone and gulped as she turned to look at Fred.

The twin grinned widely, unable to suppress his excitement. He wriggled his eyebrows and puckered his lips comically.

It was rather obvious that the two fancied each other. When Angelina grabbed the back of Fred's neck and pulled him in for one of the heaviest make-out sessions I've ever seen in my life, the rest of us cheered loudly and applauded. We thought they would never get around to telling each other how they felt.

When they pulled back Angelina was out of breath and Fred just looked around, lost for a moment. Then he grinned bigger than ever and threw his arm around her.

Angelina smirked. "Who's next?"

"Let me get mine over with," Alicia said and unfolded her scrap. "Are you serious? I got my own!" She sighed half in irritation and half in relief. "**Stop pranking people for the next three months**. Well at least I got off easy."

"My turn! My turn!" George sang in high spirits. He read his, smirked evilly and looked at Alicia.

The girl's face flushed completely. "…What…?"

"**Go on a formal date with Alicia. Dress up and all**. Thank you, dear brother!"

Alicia was left speechless. Only Angelina and I knew that she returned George's feelings; she was just waayyy too shy to admit it.

"Alicia, my dear." George stood up, knelt down in front of the beet-red girl, and took her hand in his. "Will you be so kind as to go on a date with me this evening?"

I assume she lost her voice because all she could do was tremble as she nodded.

Angelina and I squealed at the adorable moment. Fred whooped and Oliver just shook his head, smiling. "You four better not let this interfere with Quidditch, though!" he said half-heartedly.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" The twins saluted Oliver.

"I guess I'll give mine a go," Harry offered boldly. "**Choose an odour."** He looked at the twins, apparently baffled. He hesitated slightly. "Watermelon."

To this the twins grinned maniacally and cast a hex on him. A pained look came across his face for a fraction of a moment but it disappeared as quickly as it came. We looked at him, confused, and then a wave of watermelon smell washed over us.

"Dear Harry here will be farting watermelon for the next week!" George announced to everyone in the common room. "Any time you smell watermelon, you can take comfort in knowing that Harry has passed gas! We've given him an extra gassy boost to help him make Hogwarts smell scrumptious! Congratulate the good man for his flatulence!"

Mortified, Harry could only stare at the twins as we couldn't help but erupt in laughter.

"Katie, I do believe it's your turn," Angelina said, bringing us back to the game.

I took a deep breath, unfolded the parchment, and gaped. "Are you kidding me?! How the bloody hell am I supposed to not only locate ten butterbeers, but drink them all within four hours, too?"

"That's no problem at all. Fred and I have our ways." George stated confidently.

"We have our ways," Fred rubbed his hands together maniacally.

I groaned. "I suppose it could be worse…"

"Let's see what you deviants wrote… **Stuff Fred's sock in your mouth!**" Fred actually laughed, finding this funny in some sick way and without hesitation shoved the entire sock into his mouth and closed his lips around it.

Alicia and I squirmed in disgust while Angelina just stared. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No worries, my dear." Fred said once he removed the sock. He took up his wand and said a Mouth Wash spell.

One by one, we all looked at Oliver, as he was the last one left. "Right," he sighed and opened his parchment. "**Follow the person to your right around for a full 24 hours. You must be within 5 meters at ****all**** times**."

Within two seconds, five pairs of eyes were on me. I blinked in confusion. "Wait… _what_??"

Fred and George laughed. "Ollie Poo will be your shadow for the next 24 hours!"

The girls grinned, knowing full well that I'd been fancying Oliver for the past few months. I wanted to smack them for making it so obvious. I knew he didn't like me back so if he found out now, I would be mortified.

I threw a half-hearted fit. My heart raced at the thought of finally being able to spend some time with Oliver but really… 24 hours? What about sleeping? What about loo breaks? I'm going to be blushing non-stop; he's sure to find out! I've perfected playing it cool around him in few hour increments but a full day would be near impossible. I was sure to do something stupid or embarrassing and I wouldn't be able to hide or run away. UGH!!

Oliver saw my pout. "What? You don't want to spend time with your favorite captain? I see how it is, Kates…" He folded his arms across his chest and looked off in the other direction sulkily.

"No…" I began, pulling his arms down. "It's not like that at all…"

"She's right, mate." Fred said.

"She just knows she's going to make a fool of herself after her ten butterbeers!" George chuckled evilly.

… Oh Merlin…

I stood up and started pacing apprehensively. How could I have forgotten? So on top of spending twenty-four hours with the man I've had an eye on for the past four months and not being able to escape when I turn into a sloppy mess when he does something cute, I also have to get drunk and make an even bigger fool of myself.

"Are you in or not?" George questioned menacingly.

All I could do was run my fingers through my hair nervously and squeeze my eyes shut as I nodded my head regretfully.

"Most excellent!" exclaimed Fred. Immediately, I felt a ring of warmth around my arm and my eyes snapped open just in time to see a faint pink light encircle my wrist. An identical ring appeared around Oliver's wrist and before I could even react, a chain of light connected the two bracelets. Without warning, the chain shrank into what I imagined was five meters, unexpectedly yanking me off my feet and sent me flying into Oliver's armchair.

"Owww…" I rubbed my head where it hit and jumped a bit when I felt someone help me to my feet again. I noticed the light fade and disappear completely but I could still feel its warmth linger.

Oliver glared at the twins as he helped me into his chair. "What? You don't trust us?"

"To be honest, no. You can charm it off at any time but we'll be able to find out who did it and when." Never had I seen more devious grins than those that were plastered on the twins' faces.

"Now to get some delicious beverages for our dear Katiekins!" George chimed.

I groaned as the twins leapt up jovially and skipped off to retrieve my butterbeers. Oliver and I shared a look in which we both silently agreed to pay the twins back tenfold.

We (and by 'we' I mean Alicia, Angelina and I) decided to make good use of the time by preparing Alicia for her date. Merlin knows she was too shaky to do anything properly by herself.

It took the three of us to levitate Oliver up the girls' staircase just because we were only used to moving objects no larger than tea pots. We bumped his head into the ceiling a few times and almost dropped him when a first year unexpectedly screamed in surprise from behind us.

Luckily we got him up with no further issues.

I really have no idea how he's able to climb the stairs in the first place. He seems to have no problems whatsoever at five am to wake us for Quidditch practice but when we asked him to show us how, he refused. Said that if we knew how, we could prepare something to hinder him next time. He must have seen right through us.

Anyway… so we all crowded in the bathroom as Angelina and I chose exactly which make-up products to use on Alicia. Once we decided on the items that would give her a more subtle, yet drop-dead-gorgeous look, I left Angelina to apply it on the nervously shaking girl. It was my task to search through our collective wardrobe to find a suitable outfit for the occasion.

Oliver followed me out of the bathroom and sighed happily. "Thank you so much for getting me out of there, Kates. I don't know how you girls are able to put up with that. Are you like that every morning?"

I laughed lightly. "Of course not; this is a huge occasion. Alicia's had a crush on George for the past two months. She's been trying to make some kind of move on him but she always chickens out at the last minute. She claims it's impossible for him to like her."

"That's crazy… he's liked her since October. Won't shut up about her, actually. It's a bit annoying."

"Seriously?" I asked as I started going through the tops we had accumulated. "It would have been much easier to get her to do something had we known that. Oh well- it doesn't matter any more. After tonight they'll be a couple. I can guarantee it."

I saw Oliver smile as he sat down on my bed. "Angelina and Fred, too. Well, at least the twins will be distracted now. Not nearly as many pranks. Maybe they'll even stop putting mouse traps next to my bed."

I giggled at the image of Oliver shuffling out of bed in the wee hours of the morning only to snap awake as mouse traps clamped down on his toes.

"Yeah, yeah. Hilarious," he muttered indignantly.

"Oh, come on. You know you'd be laughing if it were anyone else."

"I guess you're right."

I looked up by accident, not expecting him to be looking right at me so when our eyes met, I couldn't tear mine away. I probably looked like an idiot just staring at his gorgeous chocolate eyes. I finally forced myself to blink and turn around to look at the wardrobe again.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and tried not to sigh in irritation. Great- I just made a fool of myself.

Well, it's not like I can help it, really. They're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen and they belong to the man who has stolen my heart. Seriously- how can you not just fall into those pools of brown paradise?

I blushed angrily. I was going to blow my cover and make our friendship extremely awkward if I couldn't control myself. Hold it together, Katie!

I decided to distract myself by flipping through the tops.

"I don't even remember this picture being taken." I heard from behind me.

My hand froze in mid-reach and I turned around slowly, desperately trying to keep the panicked look off of my face.

Oliver was holding a framed photograph I kept by my bed of the two of us after the first game we played (and won) this year. In the picture he ran up to me, picked me up, twirled me around in two circles, and finally pulled me into a huge hug.

He smiled at the photo.

"I'm pretty sure Colin took it. You know how he is with that camera. He told me he wants to go pro."

"It's a great picture."

"Yeah. That was a great game," I said, trying to take his thoughts away from the fact that I apparently treasured a photograph of us. If he acknowledged the fact that I had a picture of the two of us rather than of my family or the girls or anything else, it would be a dead giveaway. Any Quidditch talk was sure to divert his attention.

"That was a smashing game!"

Aaannnd it worked. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

He had been gushing about the game like a little kid does about Chocolate Frogs for a solid five minutes before Angelina's voice called from the bathroom. "Katie! We need that outfit now! We're ready in here."

I made up my mind between the black skirt and the tan one, grabbed the rest of Alicia's attire, and scurried off the bathroom, thankful to get away from Oliver.

To my utter dismay, he got up from my bed and followed closely behind me.

I held up the cute and moderately low cut top with a tan skirt that had a small bow on the hip. Angelina clapped her hands delightedly and shooed Oliver out of the doorway, closing it inches from his face.

"Hey!" he called through the door.

"Alicia is about to change, you perv!"

"WHAT?!" Oliver cried. "I am NOT a perv! It was incredibly rude to slam the door in my face!"

I gave the clothes to Alicia, careful to stay relatively close to the door and Angelina turned to me. "Isn't this the best day ever!?" she squealed excitedly. "Not only did I get to have a totally hott make out session with Fred, but Alicia gets to FINALLY go on a date with George AND you and Oliver will definitely be together by this time tomorrow!"

"SHHHH!!!" I hissed. "Don't be so loud when he's right on the other side of the door!" I sighed heavily. "And there's no way Oliver likes me, Angie… really. I can tell he sees me as just a friend."

"What in Merlin's name makes you say that?"

"I… I just know. I can tell."

"That's preposterous."

"Stop trying to get my hopes up! I know for a fact that he doesn't so drop it. I don't want to foolishly start believing only to have my hopes shot down. I've already accepted it and its fine. Really."

She opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Alicia. "Guyyyssss!!!" she cried, clearly in distress. We looked in her direction, only to find her a jumbled mess with her skirt half way zipped and her arms flailing around helplessly trying to pull the top over her head. "I'm going to make an idiot out of myself tonight!"

"You two are hopeless," Angelina said, shaking her head. She was always the bravest and most rational out of the three of us. She walked over to Alicia, spun her around, and reached for a zipper on the back of the top that apparently Alicia didn't know existed.

"….oh…" was all Alicia could say as she slowly freed herself. "Thanks."

Angelina briefed her for the next three minutes while Alicia pulled some heels on about what to do tonight and what not to talk about and such. I swear the girl reads far too many romance novels.

Finally we emerged from the bathroom. Oliver was leaning against the wall beside the door looking thoughtful. "I don't know how you girls can seriously take thirty minutes to get ready for one night."

They stared at him in disbelief. "You're just lucky we sped things up!"

The two girls suddenly shared a significant look, ran off giggling out of the room and down the stairs. I just looked at the door way in confusion. What was that all about?

Oliver and I walked over to the stair case and stopped. I groaned. Well, this is nice. I can't levitate Oliver down by myself- I'm horrible at levitating a textbook; I'm not even going to try levitating a full-grown man. He would have to either wait for me to make it down the stairs and slide down once I was at the bottom or I could wait for him to slide down and walk after him.

"Do you wanna go first?" I asked.

"We have to go together. It's more than five meters to the bottom, Kates."

Oh…. "Well how do you propose we do this, then?"

He sat down and patted the ground in front of him. "We can slide together!" he said like a little kid.

"Oh, no we can't! It's filthy!"

Grinning, Oliver grabbed my hand before I had a chance to protest, and yanked me down onto his lap. "Now you won't get dirty," he said cheekily at my scarlet face. I couldn't even try to remove myself from the situation because I was not only half-frozen, but he chose right then to push himself (and consequently me) onto the top stair.

My eyes widened and I clung onto his neck as the steps collapsed into a slide and sent us plummeting down, the sound of my screams echoing off the walls.

I tumbled off of him when we got to the bottom and scowled at his laughter. "It's not funny!" I glared but the look of mirth on Oliver's face made me melt. How could I stay mad at someone so bloody adorable?!

"I'm sorry, Kates. It really was the only way," he said standing up and wiping dirt from his pants."

"We're baa-aack!" Fred's voice sang from the opening portrait hole. To my utter dismay, he and his twin were indeed carrying ten butterbeers between themselves. How they managed to carry so many and past all the professors at that, is beyond me.

I sighed in defeat as I walked over to the fireplace and plopped down on one of the couches. Oliver sat right next to me.

I suppressed the urge to send him a questioning look. Sure, we had to be close to each other but he has five meters to make use of. Why wouldn't he take his favorite armchair or at least sit a few spots down from me? Why _right _next to me?

Ugh… what if he overheard Angelina in the bathroom and is just trying to humiliate me?

It's going to be a lovely 24 hours, I can just tell…

The twins placed the butterbeers down on the table in front of me.

"Drink up, my dear!" one of them exclaimed. I'm not sure which… I was too preoccupied wondering exactly how to go about drinking_ that_ much without getting sick tomorrow.

"And don't worry about getting sick- we have the perfect spell to cure hangovers," one of them said as if reading my mind. For all I know, they do. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they announced that they had concocted some kind of telepathic device.

I finally looked up at them. "Right… well that's tomorrow's problem. What about now? I'll throw up if you make me drink all of this!"

"Oh, but Katie, we're not making you drink!" Fred said jovially. "It's your choice between this and next year of being our testing slave."

Apparently everyone besides me wins today. Angelina gets to be with Fred. Alicia gets to be with George. The twins get to not only be with their respectful girls, but they also either get a riot out of me being drunk or a riot out of me testing their potions. Oliver just gets to have fun making me feel awkward.

What do I have? The foreboding feeling that I'll be puking my guts out, as I've only sipped the occasional butterbeer before. Oh- and I'm quite sure Oliver will disown me after today, as he'll have front row seats to some of the most humiliating moments of my life.

I reached out, grabbed a bottle, and downed half of it before I could stop myself. Let's get this overwith…


	2. Dancing Like A Pro

Ohhhmiedeeerrr! The very first thing I have to say is that I never meant to leave you hanging with a single chapter for a year and a half! I honestly wrote a good chunk of it all at the same time when I first published this, but there were too many gaps and an annoyingly reliable case of writer's block which hindered me from continuing. However, I'm currently on a FF writing binge in which I feel the compelling need to finish two stories at the same time. How it's been working is beyond me, but I've actually made a lot of progress. ANYWAY: I sincerely apologize for taking so long to update. I hope I can recapture some original interest. Otherwise, happy reading!

I think I should mention that this doesn't line up perfectly with the books in the sense that the Triwizard Tournament has not occurred. You'll understand why I must say this when you start reading. I doesn't cause any kind of plot change, so no worries.

* * *

-Recap-

"Drink up, my dear!" one of them exclaimed. I'm not sure which… I was too preoccupied wondering exactly how to go about drinking_ that_ much without getting sick tomorrow.

"And don't worry about getting sick- we have the perfect spell to cure hangovers," one of them said as if reading my mind. For all I know, they do. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they announced that they had concocted some kind of telepathic device.

I finally looked up at them. "Right… well that's tomorrow's problem. What about now? I'll throw up if you make me drink all of this!"

"Oh, but Katie, we're not making you drink!" Fred said jovially. "It's your choice between this and next year of being our testing slave."

Apparently everyone besides me wins today. Angelina gets to be with Fred. Alicia gets to be with George. The twins get to not only be with their respectful girls, but they also either get a riot out of me being drunk or a riot out of me testing their potions. Oliver just gets to have fun making me feel awkward.

What do I have? The foreboding feeling that I'll be puking my guts out, as I've only sipped the occasional beer before. Oh- and I'm quite sure Oliver will disown me after today, as he'll have front row seats to some of the most humiliating moments of my life.

I reached out, grabbed a bottle, and downed half of it before I could stop myself. Let's get this over with…

* * *

Six beers and two and a half hours later I found myself giggling like an idiot at nothing at all. My eyes were bleary and my whole body felt as if it were moving on its own. Thank Merlin the twins had been merciful enough to cast an anti-sickness and anti-hangover hex on me. I wasn't feeling ill at all; rather, it was quite the opposite. I felt like I was floating and I couldn't stop laughing for the life of me. Considering the circumstances, I felt great- especially because I hadn't made a fool out of myself yet.

Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

George and Alicia had left an hour after I had begun drinking, saying something about their hot date. Alicia gave us the secret look that promised she would explain all the details in the morning.

Angelina's eyes suddenly lit up. "Next weekend is Hogsmeade!"

"Perfect!" Fred exclaimed. "We're low on supplies. Restocking soon is absolutely necessary for Phase Three!" Oliver, Angelina, and I exchanged looks of horror as Fred laughed evilly.

"What are you talking about? Phase Three?" Oliver questioned.

"Oh, my dearest Olliekins… don't you worry about any of our wonderful phases. Unless, of course, you plan on helping us set them up and test them?"

Oliver opened his mouth in a quick retort, but thought again and sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just leave us out of your 'brilliant' tricks."

"I promise nothing!"

Oliver and I looked to each other in exasperation. Would we ever be free of their hold on us? I swear… even after we all graduate, they will still find ways to mess with us. Even when we were all old and wrinkly, Fred and George would find us and turn our hair blue or dye our skin green. I was certain they would always find ways to haunt us.

"Fred," I said suddenly, having completely forgotten what we were talking about three seconds prior. "How many merpeople are in the lake?" Angelina opened her mouth but I cut her off quickly. "Yes, there are merpeople, Angelina! I don't care what anyone else says- there are merpeople in that lake!"

"Why are so sure?" Oliver questioned. For some reason his eyes were tearing up. Why was he biting his lip so hard?

"'Cause I know! Sometimes at night I hear this sound that wakes me up and I can't go back to sleep 'cause it's so pretty but at the same time it's annoying and makes me want to scream, but it's really nice and comes from outside from the direction of the lake and it sounds like singing, but not like human singing 'cause it's way too high-pitched and squeaky, which makes you think it would sound like a screeching bat but it's really not that bad at all."

I had been using my hands animatedly the whole time to help explain the extreme magnitude of the situation, and by the time I was done, both my hands were raised high above my head. I looked up at them, confused, and slowly waved them back and forth. It produced the weirdest feeling in my arms and it made me giggle.

"So, anyway," I continued. "We should totally take a boat out there and try to talk to them 'cause face it- we would make history for being the ones who discovered the merpeople at Hogwarts!"

Wide-eyed, Angelina tried to change the subject. "Where do you think 'Lica and George went off to?"

Fred's grin was massive at this point. "Now, Angelina, dear- it's not nice to change the subject without warning."

"Yeah!" I said loudly. "Listen, Fred… where can I acquire a boat?"

"The boathouse should have a few, Katiekins!" Even his tone was dancing in merriment. "When will you embark on this marvelous voyage?"

I stood up quickly. "LET'S GO NOW!" I all but shouted, so great was my excitement. I started marching (literally) towards the Fat Lady but Oliver grabbed my wrist before I could make it more than a meter away.

"Don't be silly, Kates," he said. "Don't you think they might sleep at night? By the time we get out there, they'd be asleep." There was a certain look in his eyes that I didn't understand, but as I thought about it, he was perfectly right.

"Merlin…" I breathed. "You're right! They're merPEOPLE! Of COURSE they sleep at night! Just like people do. Good call, Ollie. Good call." I reclaimed my seat next to the Scot and stared at Fred. "What is so bloody funny?"

"This is officially my new favorite game!"he nearly choked. His cheeks were pink from near-silent laughter.

Having no idea what game he could have possibly meant, I mentally classified him as insane and looked to Angelina. "Room of Requirement," I said seriously.

"… What…?" The girl had no idea what I had meant, which confused me greatly. Of course she had to know about the Room of Requirement; we had used it too many times to count.

"To answer your question from earlier. I think he took her to the Room of Requirement 'cause then he conjure up whatever room he wanted to take her to. Room full of roses? Done." I could feel myself slurring a bit so I slowed my excited speech down and used hand motions instead to emphasize my point. "Candle-lit dinner? Done. Dancing the night away? Done. It's the perfect place for most girls! She's a total romantic so she'd love it!"

"No way," Fred said, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "George would never do something so cliché. My dear brother had a brilliant plan to woo her. I've been trying to get them together for weeks… he wouldn't mess it up the first night."

"How did you even know she liked him back?" Angelina asked curiously.

"Are you kidding? We Weasley twins are absolutely irresistible!" he cried in mock hurt.

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're so arrogant…"

"Only sometimes, love."

Angelina grinned and they leaned in for a quick peck that turned out to not be so quick.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Come onnnnn, guys! Get a roooooom!"

"Someone has to make sure you finish all of those drinks, Kates. I would entrust Oliver with the task but I'm sure you would seduce him and convince him to tell us that you've finished them."

This made me laugh so hard that I couldn't breathe. "Right! You know me, Weasley- I'm the school slut!" I said sarcastically and still couldn't stop laughing. "Haha… seduce Oliver. That's rich!"

"You know, I'm not so sure Oliver would stop any of your advances," he said nonchalantly.

This caused me to laugh more. "And I'm Merlin!"

"If you say so, Katie," Angie smiled.

I downed the last of the sixth beer and placed it back on the table a bit too forcefully. Ha! It seems I don't know my own strength!

"I'm sorry, Olllliiiieee," I said, turning to him. "They want me to seduce you but I'll have you know that I'm not a whore." I shook my finger for emphasis.

"I never said you were a whore, Kates." Why was he smiling now?

I looked at Angie's smile and Fred's grin. I puckered my lips in distaste. "What's so amusing?" I asked as I reached for bottle number seven.

"Nothing at all, my dear." Fred said.

I examined them all skeptically but it led me nowhere. They were a bit blurry anyway. I opened the bottle and took a large swig. As I pulled the bottle from my lips, I closed my eyes and giggled. "Anggeerrsss… could you help me get to the loo?" I tried to stand but toppled over, nearly crushing Oliver. "I don think I can get there alone," I giggled again as he helped me find my balance.

Angelina stifled a snort and rose as well. "I suppose you could use some help, huh?"

I nodded vigorously to Angie and shooed Oliver away. "You can't come, Sillies!"

Oliver just raised his brow at me and looked at Fred. "This is an exception, right?"

"Sorry, mate. No time outs."

I glared at Fred angrily and he gave me a look back but his face was too blurry for me to tell if he suddenly pitied me or if he was just glaring back. "That's not fair, Fred!"

"It's alright, Kates," Angelina said as she grabbed my hand and led towards the girls' staircase. "I have the perfect solution."

I scrunched up my nose, still not too comfortable with the whole situation.

"Trust me," she said, all too familiar with the look I was giving Oliver. "Just help me levitate him up the stairs."

Oliver's footfalls stopped instantly, making me halt as I whipped my head around. Angelina, who was still pulling my arm, nearly flew backwards into me.

"You can't stop like that, Ollers!"

"The three of you nearly dropped me earlier. There's no way I'm trusting just the two of you, especially if Katie's drunk!"

"Ppppsssssshhhhhhhhhtttttttt!" I scoffed. "I am NOT drunk!"

Annoyed, Angelina placed both hands on her hips. "Well, how do you expect to do this, then? Unless you're going to cave in and reveal your glorious secret way up the stairs, there's no other option."

Fred's laughter from the couches echoed in the common room.

"It's not funny!" I yelled at him, crossing my legs and bouncing. "I'm about to burst!"

"I can't believe you haven't thought of it yet, Ollie Poo." Fred was going to be the death of me, I decided. It wasn't going to be training in the rain or snow, or from rampaging trolls or deatheaters. No. The twins were going to kill me before anything else got the chance.

"Accio broom!" Oliver shouted, his wand suddenly drawn and pointed at the boy's dormitories.

"There ya go," Fred laughed.

"BRILLLLIANT!" I shouted and nearly ran over a second year as I dashed up the stairs, not even caring at this point if Oliver was close enough to me or not. Luckily, the invisible chain didn't yank either of us and we made it up to the bathrooms without further incident. In retrospect, I have no idea how I didn't trip in my drunkenness.

Somehow I made it into a stall but the second I shut the door, I opened it again. "No! I can't!" I cried, mortified at the thought of Oliver hearing me tinkle. "I'd rather hold it in until tomorrow!"

"Don't be silly," Angelina said, running into the bathroom a few paces behind Oliver. She whipped out her wand, "Muffiato!" The spell hit the stall I was hanging out of and when I looked back at the two of them, I realized that they were both saying something to me at the same time but I couldn't hear either of them. I was frozen for a second, entranced by the sudden silence. It wasn't until Angie started animatedly shooing at me that I remembered why I was there in the first place and hurriedly shut the door.

I finished my business, washed my hands and face, and started giggling at my reflection. The goofy smile stuck on my face made me laugh and the sight of me laughing made me laugh even more. I brought my hands up to stifle my giggles but the feeling of my arms moving so quickly felt strange.

Wondering if all such movement would feel so odd, I closed my eyes and spun around. Another fit of giggles escaped me. If something so simple felt so brilliant, what if…

I spun around several times, keeping my eyes shut and not even bothering to suppress my giggles this time. It was strange- I was controlling my body but my limbs felt foreign. Before I could even register my actions, my legs seemed to move on their own and after a moment I realized I was dancing. Not surprisingly, I laughed more, faintly realizing how absurdly I was acting. My arms were flailing about for some reason and I was sure that to anyone else I would have looked like a lunatic. Luckily, no one else was in the room to see such a ridiculous dance. I would have been mortified.

The sound of my incessant giggling echoed off the bathroom walls, somehow sounding like music to my drunken self.

I'm not sure how long I had been 'dancing' before I heard a strange sound. It startled me and I stopped instantly to try to hear it again. I opened my eyes finally to search for what could have made the noise. Nothing in the stalls or by the wall… what about behind-

My entire heart sank into my stomach at the sight of Angelina, leaving me frozen. Both of her hands were covering her mouth, not doing a very good job at all at stifling her laughter.

I supposed it could have been worse. Sure, she would make fun of me for weeks but she wouldn't tell anyone else except for Alicia. The two of them would humiliate me but I could deal with that. Now, if the twins had seen anything even remotely as embarrassing as that, they would surely have humiliated me for months. But even so, the twins laughing at me wouldn't be half as bad as if _he_ found out.. or worse- if he _saw_ me dance like a fool. I think that if _he_ ever saw me dance like that I would just quit the team and lock myself in my room for the rest of the year.

Angelina and I had known each other for so long that we could almost speak to each other with mere looks. We locked eyes as was custom when we did something embarrassing. It always served as a silent promise that whatever embarrassing thing that had transpired would remain a secret between us. But the look she gave me was different and it confused me. She was my best friend… she wouldn't betray me by telling anyone. Why-

"Was that _dancing_, Kates, or were you having a seizure?" Oliver asked apprehensively. I was still frozen but I was able to slowly turn my head far enough to see him standing a few meters to the left. It was apparent that he was trying his absolute hardest to keep his composure.

His words sobered me up at a possible record speed. I could think of ten million places I'd rather be at that moment. I'd rather have been lost in the Forbidden Forest than to have just danced like an absolute idiot in front of Oliver. I would rather have been thrown into the middle of the lake in the middle of the winter as opposed to standing in front of my biggest crush ever, speechless and unable to do anything to subdue the humiliation. I would have rather gone up against Voldemort himself than to have been stuck magically chained to Oliver for the next twenty hours in what would be the most humiliating experience anyone could ever have to go through. Put me in Azkaban for the rest of my life… I'd take that in a heartbeat over seizure-dancing in front of the cutest boy in the world.

Painfully aware of how red my cheeks had become, I was able to begin moving my limbs and I silently fumbled for my wand and pointed at the invisible chain. Being a Weasly test subject for a year would be FAR better than this. They could humiliate me all they want… no evil plot could be worse than this disaster. I opened my mouth but before I could utter a sound, Oliver had crossed the distance between us and had taken my wand from my hand.

"There's no way I'm letting you give up already," he said, Scottish accent thicker than usual. "You've never been a quitter."

Right… well I never made such a fool of myself either. I reached for my wand but it came as no surprise that my attempts were in vain… I was trying to take something from someone who revolved his life around protecting things. "My wand, please," my voice was barely higher than a whisper and I dared not look him in the eye.

"You're willing to give yourself to the twins just because I saw you drunkenly dancing?" Disbelief was evident in his voice. "Everyone does funny things when they drink. I'm not going to hold this against you or think any less of you, if that's what you're afraid of."

I reached a few more times but Oliver blocked me every time. "I just want to be alone right now. Please."

"Come on, Kates." He reached out for my chin with his free hand and gently made me look at him. "You were so happy a second ago. I'd never seen you smile like that. If anything, that was cute," he said once our eyes met.

I knew he had to be lying but my heart still skipped a few beats. I shut my eyes angrily and inwardly groaned at how I reacted for the smallest things. I'd have to put a stop to that somehow…

"Kates…" He coaxed, trying to get me to loosen up. Instead, I pulled away and looked at Angelina for help. I telepathically begged her to pin Oliver down so I could successfully retrieve my wand but if the message got through, she didn't show any signs.

I could feel my cheeks reddening even more because I was so embarrassed and frustrated. That's when I remembered that Angelina always kept her wand in her back pocket.

Asking her for it would be pointless- Oliver would just take it, too. If I could get to it before she reacted, I'd be set. I would disarm Oliver, get my wand back, and immobilize him. If there was one thing I prided myself on, it was the ability to perform back-to-back hexes quickly and with ease. After I stunned Oliver, I would break the spell between us, sprint up to my dorm, lock the door, and put up wards to fend off a certain Scot that might pursue me.

Taking a deep breath, I ran through all the motions one last time in my head and lunged at my best friend.

Angelina's surprised shriek echoed throughout the bathroom, and she unexpectedly backed up just as quickly as I lunged. Because I hadn't considered that she might not cooperate and stay still (although I should have- chaser reflexes are ideal for such situations), I came up short. The extra second it took to recalculate my course of action was all Oliver needed to jump into the chaos and take a hold of my still-grabbing arms.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Katie?" Angelina cried, still surprised.

I sent her another pleading look which seemed to do the trick- she reached for her wand but Oliver cut in before she could pull it out.

"100 extra laps for you if you even think of giving her your wand." His tone was smug and all of us knew that he had won. It was January, which meant practice was already freezing enough- and Angelina hated the cold the most out of all of us.

"Sorry," she offered sincerely.

"Would you mind giving us a moment, Angie?" Oliver asked her a little too politely for my liking.

My eyes widened and I mouthed to her, begging her not to leave us and make it even _more_ awkward. Again, she looked at me helplessly but complied with his request.

"Now, then," Oliver said, turning me to face him once more. "Would you care to explain just what this is all about?"

"Not particularly." All I could do was stare at my feet. I wiggled my toes in my shoes nervously.

"You know this is absurd, right?" I remained silent so he sighed. "Are you really _that_ embarrassed, Kates?"

"Maybe…" I muttered, even more ashamed now that he was making me admit it aloud.

He chuckled. "You always seem to find new ways to surprise me." He lifted my chin again. "I was joking when I said that before. You were _dancing_, Kates, and for someone so drunk I'm impressed you were able to keep your balance. Besides- it's not like you're the only one to do something ridiculous."

"Have you ever seizure-danced, Oliver?" I asked seriously.

"No, I can't say I have... but have you seriously forgotten the robe incident three years ago?"

A ghost of a smile played at my lips. "You kind of deserved that..." I said quietly. Oliver had the team train for nearly six hours and then refused to let anyone off the pitch until they had gotten fifty quaffles past him. "Even the Slytherins thought it was ridiculous." In retaliation the 'Hell Practice', as it was referred to later, the twins had hexed all of Oliver's robes to change colours every hour, on the hour.

"Right, well they were all rainbow, Kates. And everyone in the whole school saw it. People actually waited for me outside of my classes to see what colour they would turn to next." His cheeks were the slightest bit rosy and it was easy to see that he really might have been half as embarrassed as I was at that moment. The realization made me feel the slightest bit better because next to nothing embarrassed Oliver. I tried to recall if I'd ever seen Oliver blush and realized that I hadn't.

"Well, you brightened the school, I suppose..." I said, stepping closer inconspicuously.

"The school is so dark! I was the only colourful thing to be seen in the whole castle," he answered seriously.

Another step. "But your mum sent you a new robe."

"It was ten centimeters too short! I looked absur- NO!" he nearly shouted as I successfully snatched my wand from his grasp. I pointed again, and got half the spell out before he had grabbed my wrist and turned it upward, rendering me helpless once more. From that angle I couldn't do a thing and fearing that he would take my wand again, I flung it as far as I could with my wrist still in his steel grip.

We both looked at it slide across the marble floor and come to a stop close to the wall.

"I can't help but think you didn't exactly think that one all the way through," he said, looking back at me.

With my wrist still secured tightly in his hand, he gently led me over to my wand, careful, of course, to keep me far enough away from it. He picked it up, shook his head, and placed it in between his pants and boxers on his side. The look he gave me dared me to try to steal it again.

Ignoring my death glare, he led me the opposite way back to the staircase.

"Oh, no no no no no…." I skidded to a stop, realizing what he was intending. "We'll find another way-" but Oliver completely ignored this as well. He put one arm behind my back and the other underneath my knees, scooping me up before I could scramble away. "Oliver, please! I beg you! Not again! We can summon our brooms and fly out the window! I don't want to sl-" A huge grin plastered on his face, he started running at the staircase. "OLIVER WOOD! DON'T YOU DARE!"

With absolute precision, he slid into the staircase. The second his perfect rump hit the top stair, the rest of the stairs popped down to form the most terrifying slide I'd ever been on.

I'm fairly certain the entire castle could hear me scream that I was going to kill Oliver Wood and when we got to the bottom, he was laughing heartily.

"Don't worry, mate," Fred choked from his own laughter. "I don't believe dear Katiekins will have the time to lop off your head just yet. She still has four beers to kill in the next…" he looked at the huge clock on the common room wall. "Fifty-three minutes!" His voice squeaked at the end, so great was his excitement.

"You've got to be bleeding kidding me!" I groaned, trying to remember exactly what wretched thing I had done to deserve such bad karma. Ignoring the group of third years that were staring at me, I quickly punched Oliver on the arm for scaring me half to death and ran towards the couches Fred and Angelina were occupying… only to feel my wrist get wrenched backward. This threw me off balance and I felt the wind pass my face as I flew forward.

Oliver catching me just in time was possibly the first lucky thing that happened to me all day. When my mind stopped swirling, I opened my eyes, only to see a pair of _gorgeous_ chocolate brown eyes staring at me, full of concern. For a second my heart melted… those chocolate pools were worried about me! Maybe I could forgive him for the Horror Slide, after all…

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten about your twenty-four hour shadow, Kates," he said. Though his tone was light, it completely ruined the moment and I immediately felt stupid that my cheeks were flushed. Did the twins spike my drinks with some kind of bad luck draught? I swore I would find out and strangle them both.

Sensing that I was slightly peeved, Oliver brought me back to my feet and pulled away, confused. Wordlessly, I grabbed his forearm and pulled him along with me, my eyes locked on the remaining beers.

"Are you alright, Kates?" Angelina asked hesitantly as I snatched one of the bottles and downed half of it in one go.

"Absolutely peachy," I said, though I was sure the three of them could hear the irritation in my voice. Before they could say another word, I downed the rest of the bottle, praying to Merlin that I wouldn't get sick, and sank onto the couch. I just had three more to go and I'd be done. I supposed with my luck, I would be the one to pull their insane dare. George had to have written that specifically hoping that I would get it because I was the light-weight of the group. If anyone else would have had to do this, they would get drunk at best. But as for me… I was the only one who would get absolutely, completely plastered.

* * *

I can't wait to finish the next chappy! :D A large chunk is already written... and things only get funnier!


	3. Apple Pie

**-Two hours later, 12:05am-**

"Sshhhh!"

Oliver shook his head lightly and smirked. "I'm not quite sure if you've noticed, Kates, but you're the only one that's been making any noise."

"It's not nice lying, Olls. I'ave been quiet as a mouse this whole time." The two of us were standing in the middle of the third floor hallway on our way to the kitchens. _I_ was being quiet but Oliver was making a complete racket. "Why did you stop, by the way?"

"You're the one that stopped." I was pretty sure I could sense amusement in his tone but my head was already swirling as it was and I didn't want to focus on anything other than the kitchens.

"Well, cut it out!" I whispered loudly. I grabbed his hand and eagerly pulled him along, already tasting the warm, flaky, gooey, scrumptious, delicious apple pie. I stopped abruptly and turned to Oliver again. "Can you taste it?"

He chuckled, though I'm not sure what was humorous about a serious question. "Taste what?"

"The apple pie!"

"I don't know what you're-" He paused when my eyes widened and I opened my mouth. He cut me off before I could speak. "Oh, _that_ apple pie! Of course, yeah, the apple pie."

"Excellent," I smiled, moving once more. I think I rambled about pie the entire way but I'm not entirely sure. I forgot about everything else until we stopped by a painting on the first level below the ground floor, so great was my excitement.

My hands were covering my mouth but I managed to whisper, "Tickle it!" through my fingers.

Oliver complied by reaching out to tickle the pear in the painting, which caused it to giggle and transform into a door handle. The sound of the giggles made me laugh every single time I had ever heard it, but this time I nearly cried from the fit of laughter.

Though I'd been in the kitchens numerous times in the past, I was so far gone that I couldn't help but gape at the sight of every kind of food imaginable piled on the long table that ran the length of the massive room. With the mouthwatering sight came a smell so delicious that I nearly fainted. Bouncing on my heels, I turned to Oliver and grinned. "Close your eyes," I demanded. When he gave me a questioning look, I repeated my order and he finally complied. I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me.

It was strange… I felt like something was different. Normally I wasn't so comfortable around Oliver. Well, he was my good friend so of course I felt comfortable around him, but at the same time I always felt nervous. But now his hand was in mine and I wasn't anxious at all. I ignored the thought and focused on the hunt.

I gathered a few things and finally sat him down on the bench, working quickly. "Alright," I said excitedly after a moment. "Openzies!"

Again, Oliver obeyed and once he beheld the scrumptious, if I do say so myself, sight in front of him, a goofy smile tugged at his lips. "How did you remember?"

He had confessed his favorite dessert sometime last year and somehow in my drunkenness I had remembered. In a large bowl I had scooped a large heap of mint-flavored ice cream complete with hot chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry on top. "Eat it while the chocolate is still hot!" I handed him a spoon and sat next to him with my own vision of perfection- apple pie so fresh that it was still steaming, topped with a nice heap of whipped cream.

It smelt so painfully delicious that if Oliver wasn't in the room, I would have just shoved the entire slice in my face.

We dug in immediately and by the time he finished, I was laying on the bench, patting my full stomach. I squeaked when his head was suddenly hovering over mine. "Eat too much, Kates?"

I nodded, pouting slightly. "I want sleeps."

He looked at the clock that hung on the far wall. "It's already a quarter to one. We should be heading back. We'll be skinned alive if we get caught out at this hour."

Hearing this, I shot upright, forgetting that he was so close. We banged our heads and I fell back down. I grabbed my forehead and groaned in pain.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked, clutching his own head.

"I don't wanna be skinned alive!" I cried.

Oliver inspected my forehead to make sure I was fine, and pulled me up. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't touch you."

I stood up slowly, patting my food-baby stomach and skipped to the four house elves who were still cleaning from dinner. "You four are THE BEST house elves," I said slowly to emphasize my point, "to ever exist. If I ever get rich, I will buy you from Hogwarts and you can live with me and I'll free you and everything... all you would have to do is make that Heavenly apple pie every night until I EXPLODE!"

"Come on," Oliver said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" I nearly choked, holding back a tear, so great was my appreciation.

We exited the kitchens and headed back to the common room. Skipping sounded like fun so I did so until I nearly tripped on one of the massive rugs in the halls. I made a strange sound but Oliver grabbed my hand before I fell too far. "Be careful, silly. I don't want to explain to Pomphrey why we're out so late and you have bruises all over you."

"YOU'RE the silly one!" I giggled. "I just wanna fly!" My eyes widened as I realized something. "Ollie. We need to get our brooms. NOW! Let's fly!"

"Oh, no no no no no..." he said quickly. "There's no way we're getting detentions a week before the game!"

I stopped in my tracks. "You're saying no to a race?" I pouted and even stuck my bottom lip out for good measure. "Please?"

"Merlin..." he breathed. "You're gonna kill me..." he whispered.

I almost didn't hear him so I looked at him curiously, silently asking him to repeat himself.

"I was just... How about we race a few nights from now?"

"Fineeeeee..." I said. I made him pinky promise before I continued moving.

It was particularly dark on the fourth floor so I instinctively reached into my pocket, searching for my wand… but it was empty. I panicked for a moment but then calmed myself, remembering that Oliver still had it.

"Ollie, I'm scared," I whispered. "I don't like dark hallways. What if someone sneaks up on us?"

"I don't think there's anyone else out so late," he said confidently, though he reached for my hand to placate me. "And you don't have to worry about anyone skinning you. I was kidding, Kates."

"What was that?" I squeaked, latching onto him tightly.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"That sound!" I leaned closely against him, my hands wrapped around him and I put my head on his chest. An army of butterflies swarmed in my tummy but I was more focused on how nice his warm, toned body felt against mine. I loved his cologne to begin with but up close it smelt a trillion times better. I could have sworn his heartbeat sped up rapidly but I'm pretty sure my intoxicated mind just made it up. I swore I would remember this moment forever.

"I didn't hear anything, Kates," he said after a moment. I wondered why he sounded so out of breath but I figured I had just scared him.

My hands moved again, this time resting on either side of his waist. I leaned up on my tippy-toes close to his face. With a grin, I whispered in his ear, "The sound of my victory!" My fingers closed around their target and I wrenched my wand from his waistband.

He stood dumbstruck as I ran off, giggling like a madwoman and waving my wand proudly. My triumph was short-lived, however, because I had forgotten, _again_, about the reason I was stuck with Oliver for a whole day in the first place. I flew backwards, **yet again,** but this time right into his awaiting arms.

Dazed, I looked up slowly to behold a grinning face, and my mirth faded almost instantaneously. "You really shouldn't have done that, Kates. I'm afraid you're going to have to pay…"

Before I could ask why, he had scooped me up and was on the move once more.

"Umm, Ollie?" I asked after I was able to slow my panicked breathing well enough for my voice to sound like my heart wasn't about to leap out of my chest.

"Hmm?"

"You know I can walk properly, right?"

"Actually, you've been stumbling all over the halls. And I believe that's the third time you've forgotten about our little predicament. Since we can't risk you falling and marring that gorgeous face of yours, I've concluded that this is the safest way for us to go," he said matter-of-factly.

"I'll remember from now on, I swear."

"Sorry, Kates. This is for your own good," he finished smugly.

I knew it was pointless to argue with him; I swore I had never in my life met someone as stubborn as Oliver. I decided to make the best of the situation by leaning my head against his chest again and memorizing exactly how his body felt and for the next five minutes he held me, I pretended that he was holding me because he genuinely cared for me, and not because he felt I was a liability.

But then I heard something and I tried to sit up straighter. "Did you hear that?" I cried.

"I'm not falling for that again, Kates."

"No, seriously," I whispered, trying to peek around his shoulder. I was sure I heard something from behind him…

Right then, a bright beam of light soared past us from behind, centimeters from Oliver's arm. It flew straight into the wall at the end of the corridor and exploded in a large flash, completely blinding the both of us.

I squeaked and stared wide-eyed at the wall, then at Oliver, who looked just as frightened as I was, and finally cautiously over his shoulder again. And the moment I did, I saw George's face literally centimeters from mine.

I let out quite possibly the biggest shriek of my life and instinctively tried to scramble away, which in turn startled poor Oliver so that he couldn't hold on to me. I fell on my rump so hard that I was sure my tooshie would be bruised for the next month.

Many things happened at once.

George began laughing hysterically to the point where he was bent over and literally in tears.

Alicia was laughing nearly as hard but also trying (though unsuccessfully) to ask if I was alright.

Oliver was whispering angrily at George asking what the bleeding hell he thought he was doing, trying to help me up, and looking up and down the hallway for any professors.

All I could do was sit on the ground where I had fallen, unable to get over the shock of being scared out of my mind. Oliver finally got me up and dragged me quickly until I realized what was going on. When my mind cleared, I realized we were running, quite possibly for our lives, because my scream had surely alerted the roaming professors to our whereabouts.

Somehow we made it into the common room without being caught but George was far from safety because Oliver rounded on him and berated him for two whole minutes. He kept repeating that if we had all gotten detention Quidditch practice would certainly have been canceled and we would never have been able to book another slot before the next game.

I finally decided to intervene and save George from another ten minutes of ruthless Scottish anger. "Ollie, it's alright. We're all safe and none of us have detention."

"Are you really defending him, Kates? I thought you fell because of him. You were waddling all the way back here!" He turned again to George, surely to shout about this as well but I stopped him once more.

"I didn't say I wasn't angry at him," I faced the man in question. "Let's make a deal, alright?"

George looked intrigued. "Go on..."

"I'll get Oliver to back off," I began, knowing how much George hated when the famous 'Quidditch Nazi' was yelling. "But in turn I want you to let us take proper loo breaks. Deal?"

George seemed to find the treaty to be reasonable and finally nodded. He pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the invisible chain. "Done. Just say 'George is amazing and handsome' whenever you have to use the loo. It only lasts for five minutes, though."

"Marvelous!" I grinned and turned to Oliver. "Does that work for you?"

Oliver grumbled a bit, clearly wanting to yell at the deviant more but nodded his head.

"Brilliant."

The four of us got comfortable on the couches and talked for a half hour until George stood up and stretched. "Well, kids, I do believe it's time for us to retire." He grabbed Alicia's hand and led her to the girl's staircase. Having a feeling that I was about to be scarred by witnessing a heavy snogging-session, I looked back at the embers in the fireplace.

"You look tired, too, Kates," Oliver noted.

"Don't be ridi-" I failed to stifle a yawn, "-culous…" He looked doubtful. "Really. I could stay up for days…" There was no way I was going to sleep in the same room as Oliver, unless it was in class. What if I snored or drooled? What if I sleepwalked and kicked him or something? I might have a hangover in the morning and Merlin knows I wouldn't want him to see me like that.

"Kates…" he said, brushing a loose strand from my eye. "You know you can trust me, right?"

"Um," I stuttered, drowning in his eyes again. "Yeah."

"That was incredibly convincing, you know?"

"Look… I really don't mind being a test subject," I said, suddenly rambling on quickly. "I mean, who knows? The twins might come up with something fun like a draught that makes you float or something that turns your hair bright red or a new version of Puking Pastilles. I mean… the Puking Pastilles wouldn't be the best but I might even get to skip class a few times and that in itself is worth it. Or if they-"

"You really shouldn't be nervous," Oliver interrupted.

"I'm not nervous," I said stubbornly, looking away. "I'm simply saying that it's been fun and all but I think it's time to call this off and go to our respective beds and call it a night because it really has been a long day and-"

He shifted his position and scooted closer to me, our legs touching. "And?" he prompted politely.

"… and I think it would be a smashing idea if we went to our respective beds-"

He smirked and leaned even closer. "I do believe you've already mentioned that." I tried to scoot away I realized that I was frozen because of how close he suddenly was.

"Right. Well-" My words died in my throat as he put his hands on the couch on either side of me. His cheeky smile should have irritated me but I only found him more attractive. I swallowed forcefully. "Well, you're attract- I mean** actually** right. I'm suddenly really tired and I'd like to sleep in my own- OLIVER WOOD!" I cried as he stole my wand from my pocket AGAIN and stowed it away for good. "For Merlin's sake! Give me my wand!"

He actually laughed jovially, this time successfully irritating me. How could I have let my guard down? "I told you that you'd pay! And not a chance. You're not a quitter and I refuse to let the twins touch you. Would you prefer your room or mine?"

I glared daggers. "Give me my wand, Oliver Wood."

"Don't be like that, Kates…"

"Please?" I hoped politeness would do the trick, though I couldn't mask the frustration in my tone.

"Answer me honestly- do you trust me?"

"Yes, but-"

"Brilliant. Then I'll meet you back here in five minutes." He stopped for a moment, a look of disgust suddenly crossing his features. "…George is amazing and handsome…"

The warm link between us immediately faded and left my wrist feeling cool. I was surprised to find that I actually missed the feeling. I stared at my skin but Oliver snapped me out of it. "You might want to hurry, Kates. I don't want this thing to yank you down the stairs if you're late."

I jumped over the back of the couch instantly and scrambled up the girls' stair faster than I ever had before. "Angie! 'Licia!" I cried, running through the room, though I didn't stop until I got into the bathroom. I used the loo, brushed my teeth, and washed up a bit before rushing back out. I bounced nervously as I looked at my two best friends. "I have, like, a minute! What should I wear?" I normally just slept in a huge t-shirt and panties but there was no way I was going to let Oliver see me like that.

Clearly, Alicia had already alerted Angelina of the situation and together they had prepared for my hurried rush. Grinning, Angelina held up some clothes.

"No." I said immediately, eyes widening. Was she really proposing for me to wear skimpy sleep shorts and a tank top _that_ tiny? I mean, sure, they were cute. I wore it all the time in the summer but I refused to wear it in front of Oliver. "There's no way-"

Alicia cut me off smugly. "There's no time to argue. Just put it on. Trust us- we're experts."

"Because experts have major meltdowns like you did earlier…" Angelina muttered under her breath.

"It's January!" I reminded them. "I'll freeze!"

"Well, then you better hope that either he has thick covers or that he'll keep you warm…"

"This isn't funny! I can't-" but I froze as I felt my wrist get slightly warmer. "Oh, for the love of Godric!" I screeched, snatching the clothes from Angelina and pulling them on at a record speed. "You're SO going to pay for this!" I was already half-way down the stairs by the time I pulled the tank top over my head. I adjusted my hair just as I rounded the last of the spiral and nearly skipped the last step in my rush.

I arrived with not a second to spare. Luckily, Oliver was waiting closely at the bottom so that the second my foot hit the ground, the rings that were forming around our wrists were linked without having to yank either of us... or rather me, as I was lighter.

I panted slightly and as I caught my breath, I was able to survey the man in front of me.

He was wearing, unsurprisingly, Quidditch boxers that had quaffles, bludgers, and I didn't want to look long enough to find the snitch. I was already blushing as it was. His shirt, I realized, was a deep blue one that I had given him years ago for Christmas. My blush deepened as I realized that it was slightly faded. He must wear it often.

I looked at his face finally, and realized he was looking me up and down as well. I squirmed and tried to pull my top down more to cover my midriff. His eyes met mine and after a moment I found my voice. "Soo… can I have my wand back, please?"

"You said you trust me, right?" he made sure for the third time.

"Yeah, but-"

"Katie, say the word and I'll break the bond right now."

Well, that's not very fair at all! I'd sacrifice myself but I'd never put Oliver through a year of dealing with the twins' pranks specifically directed at him. Merlin knew he already had it with their pranks as it was. I honestly did trust the man to not do anything stupid and it seemed that he had no problem putting up with me for the night. The only thing holding me back was the fear of making a fool of myself somehow. However, I supposed that I had already done a smashing job of that anyway so since the damage had been done, there was nothing else to lose.

"It has to be your room because the girls would be incredibly obnoxious. And Alicia snores. Loudly."

Oliver smiled and grabbed my hand lightly, pulling me towards the boys' staircase. "You don't have to worry about my dorm mates. Percy passes out at ten every night and doesn't wake up even when the twins throw Exploding Snaps on me at three am. And Richard stays with his Ravenclaw girlfriend half the time; he hasn't been back in a week."

We arrived in his room just as he fell silent. Percy's bed was the furthest one from everything, his curtains closed tightly. There was an unoccupied bed next to him, which was next to a slightly disorganized bed, which I assumed was Richard's. Another free spot was between his and Oliver's bed, which was closest to the window.

A candle was lit on Oliver's nightstand, its soft glow illuminating a picture of the whole team taken after a winning game, a Scottish flag hanging on the wall to the side, and the infamous book of Quidditch plays was sitting atop his trunk.

Shivering from my lack of warm clothing, I walked towards the window, trying to take my mind off of the awkwardness of being in Oliver's room. I had been in his room before, but never at night and never alone with him. The swarming butterflies were strong indicators of the level of my nervousness. I took a deep breath and tried to shove the feeling away.

"How did you manage to get the window that overlooks the pitch?" I asked, but then thought about it. "You know what? Nevermind. I know that you're reminded daily but I feel the need to reiterate now- you're obsessed and we, the team as a whole, strongly feel that you should see a therapist."

He laughed good-naturedly, the sound somehow ebbing a bit of my nervousness. "I'm not obsessed."

I stared at him, incredulous. "You're _still_ trying to deny it? This may come as a shock to you but trust me when I say this; what we've been trying to tell you for the past few years is that it is, in fact, **not **normal for anyone to be thrilled about five am practices."

"It's the best time of the day! From there the sunrise can get into people's eyes and by the time the angle of the light-"

I shook my head, blocking the rest out. How? How had he acquired so much love for a single thing in life, let alone it being a sport? I shivered again and tried to rub my arms to subdue the goose-flesh that had sprouted.

"-pretty dark, but still not as bad as the sunset. And if we start after dusk we won't have nearly enough time before curfew. So, logically, five am is the best time to get on the pitch. Plus, at that time it's way too early for the other captains to spy on us."

Incredulous, all I could do was stare. '_Logically_'?

"Anyway… I should probably put up wards for when the twins decide to come pour flour all over us or something," Oliver said. He was smiling, though he seemed annoyed at the thought of the twins waking him up.

This alerted me to the reality of the situation. If the twins could find us, so could Oliver's roommates. Or other Gryffindor males… Or worse… professors. We would serve detention for the rest of the school year! We would be the biggest rumor of the semester and I'd be known as the school slut.

_Awesome._

I rubbed my arms harder, still trying to warm them up, but it was no use. I couldn't have been standing there for longer than two minutes but I was so cold that I might as well have been standing outside without a cloak. Finally, I couldn't stand it any more and without entirely processing my motions, I flew to Oliver's bed and dove beneath his blankets.

I pulled the blanket over my head and curled up in a tight ball, shivering violently for a moment before my body finally registered the newly-acquired warmth. I calmed down significantly... and that's when I realized that I was literally surrounded by Oliver's scent and I inhaled as deeply as I could without making an audible sound. It was like Heaven. Not only was I finally warming up, but his sheets were soft and comfy and it smelt _so. Ridiculously. Good_.

Just as I was thinking this, I realized that he had just witnessed me dive at his bed and disappear within. I must have been under the covers for a full thirty seconds! I must have looked like a total creeper!

I peeked my head out, only to see his trademark lopsided grin. "Cozy?"

"I'm sorry, Ollie. This outfit was literally the only one I could get a hold of before the five minutes were up and it's really short and it's January so it's really cold and I was standing by the window so it was a lot colder and I just froze like an ice cube and-"

"Kates... It's ok," he said, stepping closer. He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at me. "Are you ready to sleep? I'm exhausted."

I numbly nodded, too nervous about not only being in Oliver's room at this hour, but being _in bed_ with him, as well. I'd never slept in any man's bed in my life. Merlin... if my mother knew, she would send me a bloody howler.

As he pulled the curtain shut, I moved as far as I could to the other side, but I could only go so far before I reached the edge. It was at that moment in time that I realized exactly why the beds were so small. Sharing beds was quite obviously discouraged.

"You know that won't help, right?" he asked, amused. "Come here before you fall off." Before I could register his words, he moved to lie down on his back and reached out to pull me close to him. One of his arms had snaked underneath me and his hand found its way to my shoulder while the other hand grabbed mine and held it securely just over his navel. My head had nowhere to rest but on his chest. "There," he whispered. "Now you won't go anywhere."

I was paralyzed. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I damn well couldn't think properly. I was finally warm and I was ridiculously comfortable. How could I not have been comfy, snuggled right up against the most attractive Scot in the school? My cheeks were so hot I was sure he could feel it.

I noticed that his heart began to pound. "Hey, Kates?" he whispered after a few moments.

"Yeah?"

His hand released mine and moved to stoke my cheek tenderly. "You're absolutely adorable," he breathed, and then kissed me on the top of my head. "Sweet dreams, my little sunflower."


End file.
